1. Field of Invention
The invention pertains to a method and device for playing compressed multimedia files in the semi-power on state of a computer and, in particular, to a method and device that enable a user to use a computer to play compressed multimedia files without entering its standard Windows operating system.
2. Related Art
There are two major methods for viewing or listening computer multimedia files. With reference to FIG. 1, a computer user can use a CD-ROM driver to read files from an optical recording medium 100. The operating system 210 of the computer is an interface for the user to key in operating commands through a keyboard or mouse, running some multimedia player 230 in order to watch or listen to beautiful images or music through a player 130. Unlike normal home electronics (such as TVs and stereo systems), such a process is very tedious and requires some basic computer knowledge from the user. The other method is to use a MP3 player or video player. With reference to FIG. 2, an optical recording medium 100 is inserted into any of the above-mentioned devices. Using their own operating panel 120, the user can also enjoy wonderful images and music using a player 130 with a decoding circuit 110. Although these devices are as convenient as normal home electronics, it is still very uneconomical for computer users to purchase such additional devices if one can achieve the same objective using the computer.